singer



C. A. SINGER. TRAFFIC DIRECTING SIGNAL FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 2.1917.

Patented N 0v. 11, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHE T I Ll m 7mg 3 J i 1 /vfifl m .J.

C. A. SINGER.

TRAFFIC DIRECTING SIGNAL FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2. :911.

1 ,32 1,254. Patented Nov. 11, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. SING-ER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO SINGER AUTO TRAFFIC SIGNAL COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION 015 DELAWARE.

TRAFFIO-DIBEGTING' SIGNAL FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Nov. 11, 1919.

Application filed January 2, 1917. Serial No. 140.132.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES A. SINGER, a. citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Im rovement in Traflic- Directing Signals for ehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appert-ains-to make and use the same.

This invention relates to traflic-directing signals for vehicles of the type that comprise an elect 'cally-operated stop indi-. cator which becomes operative automatically when the driver operates the device that controls the brake on the vehicle.

The main object of my invention is to provide a circuitcontrolling switch for a traflic-directingsignal of the character referred to which is so designed that it can.

be set or adjusted to cause the stop indicator to act automatically only when the brake controlling device is actuated sufiiciently to tightly set or clamp the brake, thereby enabling the brake of the vehicle to be partially applied without causing the stop indicator to operate automatically.

Figure 1 of the drawin is a diagrammatic view, illustrating a tr c-directing signal equipped with a circuit-controlling switch constructed in accordance with my invention, the steering column and the foot brake leverof the automobile on whichthe signal is used being shown in side elevation.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view, taken .on the line 22 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectlonal view of m improved cdntrolling switch that is com ined with the foot brake lever to effect the automatic operation of the stop indicators.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view, illustrating a slight modification of my invention.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the switch illustrated in Fig. 3, the foot/brake lever being shown in horizontal section; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse sectional view, taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

I have herein illustrated, my improved switch applied to a traflic-directing signal of the kind that comprises two sets or groups of similar indicators arranged so that they rear of the vehicle on which the signal is installed, electrically-operated devices for actuating said indicators and a hand switch for governing the various circuits in which said electricallyoperated devices are arranged. The particular type of signal with up of a normally operative indicator 1 provided with the word Ahead, or some other suitable indicia for denoting the normal direction of travel of the vehicle, three indictators 2 provided with the words Right, Left and Back, respectively, or other suitable indicia, for denoting proposed changes in the direction of travel of the vehicle, and an indicator 3 provided with the word Stop or other suitable indicia, to indicate that the vehicle will slow down or stop. Each group of indicators is arranged in ahousingthat is provided with a sight opening, and solen oids or other suitable electrically-operated devices are arranged inside of aid housing for actuating devices that are operatively connected with the indicators 2 and 3 in such a manner that said indicators will be moved into operative position, or, in

which the switch is used is 'innnaterial, however, so far as my present invention is other words, into alinement with the sight opening in the housing when the devices I are energized and will be restored to aninoperative position when said devicesare deenergized. An electric lamp ,5 or other which the solenoids are arranged are governed by a hand switch D of any preferred type that is arranged in such a position that it can be actuated easily by the driver of the vehicle, the switch D herein illustrated being mounted on the steering column, as shgrwn in Fig. 1. r

he controlling switch previously referred to that forms the subject-matter of my present invention, governs the automatic operation of the stop indicators 3 at the front andrear of the. vehicle and consists of a plunger type switch E that is compocket 14 formed in a block of insulating material 15 that carries the contacts 10 and 11 and the plunger 12, as shown in Fig. 3. A substantially bell-crankshaped lever 16 that is pivotally mounted on an horizontallydisposed shaft 17 carried by bearings 18 on the block of insulating material 15 serves to limit theoutward movement of the plunger '12, namely, movement in a direction to break the circuit in which the switch E is arranged, said lever 16., having a depending arm that laps over the head at the outer end of the plunger 12 and a forwardlyprojecting arm that bears against the block of insulating material 15 when the plunger 12 is in its outward position, as shown in Fig. 3. Various means may be employed for forcing the plunger 12 lnwardly, so as to close the circuit controlled by theswitch. The means shown in Fig. 3 for effecting this movement of the plunger consists of a lever G arranged in such a manner that one end of same will engage the forwardlyprojecting arm of the bell crank lever 16 a d rock said lever 16 in a direction to push the plunger 12 forwardly, or to the left, looking at Fig. 3, when the opposlte end of said lever G is depressed by the downward movement of .the foot brake lever F. The lever G is preferably formed from a piece of spring steel wire that is looped-around the shaft 17 and bent to form two portions that lie on opposite sides of the shaft 17, namely, a rear portion consisting of a bail through which the foot brake lever F passes, and a front portion consisting of'a short arm that lies underv the forwardly-projecting arm of the bell crank lever 16. When the foot brake lever F is moved downwardly, the

foot portion '19 at the upper end of said lever enga es the crow piece of the bail on the lever (dr and moves the right hand end portion of said lever G downwardly, thereby rocking the bell crank lever 16 and causing the insulated portion 12* at the inner end of the plunger 12 to come into engagement with the contacts 10 and 11. When the foot brake lever moves upwardly, the spring 13 moves the plunger 12 outwardly, thereby disengaging the insulated portion at the inner end of same from the contacts 10 and 11 and also restoring the levers 16 and desirable feature that results from forming the lever G in this manner is, that the bail portion of said lever can be bent into such a position that said lever G will be actuated only when the? foot brake lever is forced away down, or, in other words, depressed sufliciently to tightly set or clamp the brake controlled by same, thereby enablin the driver to partially apply the brake wlthout efi'ectin the automatic operation of the stop indicator. The position of the lever G with relation to the foot portion 19 at the upper end of thefoot brake lever F can also be varied by simply shifting the switch E toward or away from the portion of the foot brake lever F that projects upwardly through the foot board of the automobile.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an automobile, the combination of a foot brake lever, a circuit controlling switch,

and a resilient lever arranged between said foot brake lever and said switch for ac- :tuating said switch and adapted to be bent so as to permit the foot brake lever to move a certain degree without operating said switch.

,r 2. In an automobile, the combination of a foot brake lever, a circuit controlling switch,

and an actuating member for said switch formed of spring steel wire or material of a similar nature and provided with,.abendable portion through which said foot brake lever passes.

3. In an automobile, the combination of a foot brake lever, and a circuit controlling switch provided with a bail-shaped actuating member through which the foot brake lever passes.

CHARLES A. SINGER. 

